As team heads to Detroit, a look back at 3-1 victory over Predators — and a recap of the Nashville scene

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Players are getting on the team bus from the practice rink to the airport for a flight scheduled to take off in 90 minutes.

Mine is an hour after that, so I’m hanging around to bang out one more posting for the road.

Relatively uneventful practice today, only thing worthy of note is that Antti Niemi and Michal Handzus stayed off the ice for a “maintenance day,” according to Todd McLellan.

Advertisement

Expect them both back on the ice when the Sharks practice Thursday afternoon at the Joe Louis Arena.

Talked to a few players today about that penalty kill last night when Brent Burns broke his stick while the Sharks were short-handed, effectively making it a 5-on-3.5 for the Predators.

As always happens, a forward handed his stick to the defenseman, just like the defenseman would have handed his stick to Niemi if it was the goalie without one. The idea, of course, is to make sure the player closest to the net is fully armed.

“If I’m up top, it’s better I don’t have the stick,” Handzus explained. “Our bench was real close, so I was hoping at one point I can get there and get my stick, but there was no chance.”

The Predators, of course, took advantage of the third-period situation and tied the game, only to have Joe Pavelski un-tie it 57 seconds later as the Sharks went on to win 2-1.

*****If I’m looking at this road trip, I would have seen last night’s game as one the Sharks might easily have overlooked — especially after two wins in New Jersey and Boston. I mean Detroit and New York (including Evgeni Nabokov on the island) lie ahead, and, no disrespect to Nashville, the game doesn’t have that kind of cachet.

I floated the notion of possibly overlooking Nashville past a few players and Todd McLellan and they weren’t buying any of it.

“Not one bit,” McLellan said. “There isn’t a player in our locker room that thinks that coming to Nashville is an easy thing. It’s actually a pretty tough building to play in. they come extremely hard.”

*****Two nights in the honky tonks, by the way, turned out to be enough for me. Someone on Twitter suggested I let Coop (Predators beat writer Josh Cooper) guide me around and I followed that suggestion. We ended up a few blocks from the music in a nice, less frenetic spot adjacent to the converted railroad station now serving as a fine hotel.

Advertisement

What the Flying Saucer lacked in music it made up for in a fine beer selection, a late night brat plate and clean air.

One other new spot I hit this trip was originally recommended by Scott Nichol. A year or so ago, I asked him where he liked to go when he got back to the city he used to play in and he mentioned the Blackstone BrewPub. Another Twitter note mentioned the same place so that’s where I ended up watching Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night.

“Good spot, great beer and my old neighbor runs it,” Nichol wrote in a text when I confirmed that indeed was the place he mentioned.

Finally, I know everybody raves about Tootsie’s and with good reason. Among the honky tonks, no place livelier, packed late into the night, just rowdy enough without crossing any lines.

But I’ve got to mention Robert’s Western World, if I haven’t already, as the place to go for the more genuine Nashville sound played by musicians with impeccable credentials.

Yeah, it’s an older, more sedate crowd. But get there on a Monday night for John England and the Western Swingers, and you’ll be listening to an 82-year-old fiddle player who backed up the likes Bill Monroe and Patsy Cline. No Lynyrd Skynyr covers, though.

Back to hockey tomorrow.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

Snow Shovel–Thanks for the encouragement. I can’t help myself, really. When people get intense, I have a natural proclivity to hit the humor. Life is too short to get an anuerysm over whether the Sharks PK is doing the right thing or not. You have poetry–I have sophmoric humor. Whatever makes the ride of life entertaining!

Speaking of entertaining–Martin Brody, my main man, where have you been?

nolimits–Diva of Detroit. We are on the verge of ice borne combat, and you are silent? (Well, that loss to Columbus would make me feel the same way-you have my sympathies)

hondr

Wyldbull—It is ok for you to like Hockey, but you cannot do it “IN ALL CAPS”. You are just WRONG to say “I LIKE HOCKEY!!!”. If you are going to use all caps you must say “I LOVE HOCKEY!!!” Anybody that has played hockey, (see my extensive hockey experience in the above post) would know that all caps is only for extreme hockey exhuberance. Two minute penalty for misusing ALL CAPS, and a five minute major for not knowing that from the get go.

And don’t try to argue, my word is hockey law.

.

I vote G-bum-man for NHL commissioner. Dump Bettman and it’s a done deal.

OccupyNHL-HQ!

Sammy

Martin Brody is attending Occupy Parents Basement and will not have internet access until his demands are met.

nolimits

“Diva of Detroit”…love that! Well let’s just say the Ty Conklin experiment is over. Howard is back in net so hopefully the Wings will play better then the 11 goals they’ve given up the last 2 games.
I have to say i’m very impressed SJ’s road trip. If the Sharks stay healthy look out!

http://www.parentingafterdivorce.com sharkfanphil

David,

Thanks for the updates. In Detroit, my favorite area downtown is in Greektown. Lots of good food there.

As for the debate on playing without a stick vs getting a stick, I remember a game in Detroit a few years back when Detroit’s Kirk Maltby didn’t have a stick. He blocked 3 shots and then used his glove to send a puck down the ice. Got a standing ovation from the crow. IMO, always better to hang in there and be the best force you can rather than leave your spot.

wupuck

Sammy 53 – we can only wish…

g-bum-man

nolimits–Glad you like the “Diva” moniker.

I am hoping Babcock thinks that Conklin couldn’t possibly lose three games in succession, and starts him. Not really–wouldn’t wish that on you.

Personally, I like it when both teams are healthy, and it is a spirited affair. Good hockey, is good hockey. “Great Hockey” is when my team wins a good hockey game. I am hoping that tomorrow will be a “Great Hockey” game for me and a good hockey game for you-no hard feelings…

Not Again

GPM – I won’t ignore your comment @42. That trade proposal of Subban for Boyle doesn’t really work for either team. The Sharks are built to win now and Boyle is the better player “now” to make that happen. He is much better defensively. Subban is still only 22 and has a lot of “raw” skills. Although extremely dynamic he still has a lot to learn about the game. On the ice he is the equivalent of a lab puppy on Christmas morning. Last year I’ll never forget a play that best exemplifies my remark. He was in front of Price with a forward from another team and the puck went straight up in the air and like a rookie tennis player he takes a wild overhead hack at the puck instead of tying up the forward or his stick. Naturally PK misses the wild swing and the forward with his stick on the ice where it should be is the gracious recipient of a point blank shot. Subban is minus 4 thus far in 2011/12 while chipping in 3 assists. The Habs would be massacred in the press for trading the years of service from PK in exchange for an aging Boyle. They have enough PR problems in dealing with one of the worst trades in our era when they picked up Scott Gomez.